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7"
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HSRSS 005EP
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$11.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 1/22/2021
"Symarip began in the 1960s as The Bees, the UK's first major '60s reggae band then as The Pyramids, Symarip and Seven Letters. In 1971 they moved to Germany to perform Afro-rock music under the name Zubaba. Frank Pitter, Symarip's original drummer, recalls watching Keith Moon, The Who's drummer on TV around 1965/1966 and deciding 'right then and there to become a drummer, to make a living as a musician'. They signed with the label President under the name The Pyramids, with Eddy Grant writing and producing their first album and their first hit, Train Tour To Rainbow City in 1967. Despite their popularity, they got little support from their record label. This is then that Monty Neysmith came up with the idea of turning Pyramids into Symarip, hence allowing the band to sign with Trojan. Symarip recorded their first album under this name with Trojan in 1969. It featured among others 'These Boots Are Made For Walking', 'Skinhead Girl', 'Skinhead Jamboree' and 'Skinhead Moonstomp'. 'Moonstomp' was in fact a version of Derrick Morgan's 1969 'Moon Hop'. Additionally, it featured a vocal introduction: 'I want all you skinheads to get up on your feet/Put your braces together and your boots on your feet/And give me some of that old moonstomping' that was very similar to the Sam & Dave' 'I Thank You' song introduction. Over the years 'Skinhead Moonstomp' charted several times for Symarip and finally reached number 1 with The Specials in 1980. Although their songs were the first targeting the Skinhead audience, they have become mega anthems for the black and white communities in U.K. and around the world. And Symarip special brand of Reggae is also widely recognized to have greatly influenced the Two Tone bands of the early 80's. Today's Symarip songs are still incredibly popular. 50 years after their releases, the legend goes on! This release finds the group's version of 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' issued on 7" vinyl for the first time, this is a licensed release of the song extracted from the 1970 Skinhead Moonstomp LP on the Trojan Records label. Complete with heavy bass guitar, stomping boot noises, raw aggressive vocals and double entendre lyrics, this cracking boss reggae cover of the Nancy Sinatra's mega hit has become a boss reggae anthem right there with the likes of 'Skinhead Moonstomp' or 'Hold Down'... Yet, incredibly this outstanding song has never been released on 7" vinyl until now! This B track is a Symarip original written by Pitter and Roberts and is the complete opposite of 'Boots...' Here the gritty voice of Roy Ellis serves admirably the sad, pensive melody and simple lyrics of this melancholic love ballad. Simply beautiful. A very rare gem and a perfect finish to this outstanding single."
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7"
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GET 778EP
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"7' inch singles were instrumental to the development of the Jamaican music industry, more affordable than full lengths for the consumer, they also allowed the labels to turnaround what was being recorded into music played from their booming sound systems as quickly as possible. In that spirit, Get On Down will be reissuing some of the most crucial reggae and ska sides on 45. This issue marks a slight departure in the series as Symarip were not a Jamaican group but had their origins in the UK. By the time 'Skinhead Moonstomp' was released as a single in 1969, reggae had spread its influence into the UK to such an extent that it changed British music for good. Symarip were the first group to work to directly appeal to UK skinhead culture, creating the climate that allowed for the explosion of the two tone movement in the late 1970s. Yet it was only on the singles' reissue in 1980 that the cut hit the UK charts, landing at #54. So, to paraphrase the song's intro, get up on your feet, put your braces together and your boots on your feet, it's time again for some of that old moonstompin'."
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